Second Chances
by Kauschi
Summary: My Swanqueenweek entry for the prompt "Divorced Lesbian Mommies" on Tumblr.
1. Chapter 1

Emma looked out of the window. They were almost there. Maybe an hour, probably less. She turned her head to the aisle looking for the flight attendant so she could order another drink. She was getting nervous. Well, even more nervous, actually. Her right knee was bouncing up and down constantly now and her palms were getting sweaty. The flight attendant finally came and Emma ordered another vodka/tonic.

Every time she came back to Storybrooke it was the same. She was a nervous wreck as soon as she bought the plane ticket and she would only calm down again when she was on her flight back to California. It was rather ridiculous, really.

She and Regina separated 2 years ago and soon after Emma moved to the West Coast, trying to bring as much distance between them as possible. She found a job and a nice apartment and Henry came to visit her during his breaks from school. She tried dating a bit a few months back, but she found it rather stressful to sit through an evening with someone that wasn't Regina and so she gave it up for now.

Regina. She was the reason Emma was so nervous, because despite what had happened, she was still very much in love with her. Not a day had passed since the day she moved out of the Mansion that she hadn't thought of her wife. Wife. They got married 7 years ago, exactly 2 years after their return from Neverland and their mission to save Henry. Much had happened before, during and after Neverland and at some point the both of them had to accept that their permanent quarrels and fights were indeed just an outlet for repressed sexual tension. Henry was happy, Snow and Charming were shocked and never quite got over the fact that their daughter was dating their former enemy, but the rest of Storybrooke was surprisingly okay with it though. For the first time in her life Emma felt like she belonged. Like she was finally home. Most of her life all Emma ever wanted was to be part of a family and now she not only had her parents back, but she also had a family of her own.

Emma shook her glass and watched the ice cubes moving in a circle in the nerve-numbing liquid. No matter how often she thought about it she still wasn't able to pinpoint to the moment when things started going wrong. They just did. There was no cheating, no betrayal, no huge fall out. Just little things. Little things that added up. They never talked about any of it. They have never really been good at talking. Both of them being stubborn and hardheaded, a simple request or question would turn into a huge argument and them being in each other's face until one of them stomped out. And then the next day they would pretend like nothing had happened.

Emma moved out 2 weeks after Henry left for College. She tried to stay in Storybrooke first, but it was a small town and seeing Regina almost every day was just too hard for her. A month later she sat in her yellow bug and drove across country. She had only been back 3 times since then and each time seeing Regina had broken her heart some more. Emma knew that this time would be no different.

* * *

"Mom!" Henry stood at the arrival gate and waved like a crazy person to get Emma's attention. She smiled. He was as tall as David now, put on some muscles and it looked like he was trying to grow a beard, judging by his bristly chin. At 20 years her little boy really wasn't so little or a boy anymore.

"Hey kiddo." Emma was engulfed in a bear hug and lifted up a few inches.

"I'm so happy you made it. I was afraid you'd find a stupid reason to cancel, like you did for grandma's birthday." Henry winked at her.

"Yeah well. No way I would miss the birthday of the little prince."

Henry rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Come on. Everyone's waiting for you."

During the hour-long drive from the airport to Storybrooke Henry talked nonstop, telling her about school, his classes and his roommate. Emma had trouble paying attention though, because the closer they got to the small town that once was her home the more nervous she got. Before the plane landed and with the help of another vodka/tonic Emma had made a decision. She would talk to Regina. Actually talk. She knew from Henry and everyone else she still was in contact with that Regina has not been dating anyone either for the past 2 years and Emma was hoping that it would mean that Regina was also still in love with her. Now that they were getting closer to Storybrooke though Emma was starting to lose her courage to actually go through with her plan.

* * *

"Emma!" Snow practically threw herself at Emma, hugging her so tight that she had trouble breathing.

"Hey Mom."

"God, I missed you so much. Look at you. All tanned. It's always sunny in Southern California, huh?" Snow chuckled at her own joke and let go of Emma to take a good look at her daughter and give Charming a chance to hug her too.

It seemed like all of Storybrooke had gathered at Granny's to greet her. It felt like it took forever to hug and say hello to everyone and Emma started to feel anxious. She knew that she needed to talk to Regina tonight, because she could already feel her courage fade. She looked at her watch. An hour had passed. She looked around the diner for her parents and Henry. They were standing at the counter. Emma took a deep breath and walked over to them.

"Hey guys. Listen, I know I just got here, but I really have to go now."

Snow looked at her with wide eyes. "What? But why? You only have been here for like 5 minutes. Where do you have to go? Everyone is…. Oh."

"What?" Henry and Charming asked in unison. They looked questioningly from Emma to Snow and back.

"I have to go see Regina." Emma said.

"Mom?" Henry asked.

"Regina?" Charming asked.

Emma looked at her mother, shrugging her shoulders slightly. Snow sighed and then nodded.

"I can't say that I am a big fan. I probably never will be, but I knew this day would come." Snow moved to hug her daughter. "Good luck."

Emma gave her a small smile. "Thank you."

She turned around, grabbed her jacket from the rack by the door and left the restaurant. She could still hear Henry's and Charming's confused questions once she stepped out into the cold night.

* * *

Emma had no idea how long she had been standing outside the Mansion. Just looking at the house made her heart ache. She needed to do this, it was now or never. She straightened her shoulders and rang the doorbell. For the longest time nothing happened and Emma started wondering if Regina was even at home. Then suddenly she heard the all too familiar staccato of Regina's heels on the marble floor inside. Emma's heart beat so fast it felt like it was about to burst inside her chest. The door was wrenched open and there she was, in all her beauty.

"Hi."


	2. Chapter 2

Emma had no idea how long she had been standing outside the Mansion. Just looking at the house made her heart ache. She needed to do this, it was now or never. She straightened her shoulders and rang the doorbell. For the longest time nothing happened, and Emma started wondering if Regina was even at home. Then suddenly she heard the all too familiar staccato of Regina's heels on the marble floor inside. Emma's heart beat so fast it felt like it was about to burst inside her chest. The door was wrenched open and there she was, in all her beauty.

"Hi."

* * *

Emma stood by the couch and watched Regina's back, while the other woman was pouring them some drinks. She was so nervous she didn't really know what to do with herself.

She had to admit that she was a bit surprised that after the initial shock of seeing Emma at her doorstep, Regina was awfully polite. She had smiled at Emma and invited her in for a drink.

Regina looked like she had lost weight, and from the few moments Emma had actually seen her face after she opened the door she looked really tired, her usually olive skin too pale and dark circles under her eyes. In all the years Emma had known Regina, and from what her parents told her about their time in FairyTaleLand, no matter what had happened Regina never let any perceived weakness or imperfection show. So what happened? Was she sick? Or maybe… Emma didn't get to finish her thought because Regina had turned around, two glasses of scotch in her hands. She motioned with her head for Emma to go sit on the couch, handed her one of the drinks and moved back to sit in the leather chair.

For what felt like forever the two just looked at each other, neither of them saying a word. The silence was starting to get uncomfortable, and Emma nervously fidgeted on the couch.

"So…"

Silence again. Regina just looked at Emma and raised an eyebrow.

"So what?" she asked.

Emma felt her face flush and tried to hide it by looking intensely to the floor. After she'd made her decision on the plane that she would try to talk to Regina, she had come up with a whole speech in her head, but now that she was actually only a few feet away from the woman she couldn't remember a damn thing. Emma could feel Regina's eyes on her; she cleared her throat and looked up.

"I miss you."

Emma blushed furiously. That was definitely not how she had planned to start the conversation.

Regina didn't move. Her mouth opened slightly, and for a millisecond Emma could have sworn that she saw a smile forming on the other woman's face, but it was gone so fast that she could not be sure if it was real or just wishful thinking on her part. There was an array of emotions visible in Regina's eyes, until they hardened and she suddenly stood up.

"I think you should go."

Emma gaped at Regina.

"What?"

"You heard me. You should go."

Regina placed her glass on the small table by the chair and walked briskly to the door. Emma jumped up and grabbed her arm.

"Please, Regina. We need to talk."

Regina glared at Emma. She tried to wrench her arm out of Emma's grip.

"Let go of me," she growled.

Emma let go of her arm but took a step forward right into Regina's personal space.

"Please, Regina. I just want to talk."

"Talk?" the brunette huffed. "About what?"

"Us."

"There is no us anymore."

"Please, don't say that," Emma pleaded. "I know you haven't been seeing anyone since…"

She didn't get to finish her sentence, because Regina was immediately in her face.

"Says who?" Her voice was ice cold. "Are you spying on me, Miss Swan?"

"No, of course I am not spy…" Emma felt frustration bubbling up in her and she took a deep breath to not let things get even more out of hand. Regina calling her Miss Swan only barely registered with her.

"Regina, please. Let's not fight, okay?"

She took a step back in hopes of easing the tension between them a little.

"We need to talk."

"So now you want to talk?" Regina huffed. "If I remember correctly it was you who packed her things and moved across the country to get as much space as possible between us."

"I know," Emma said, her voice only a whisper. She had no idea how to respond. Regina was right, it was Emma who had taken the cowardly way out and ran.

"Two years!"

"I know."

"Two years!" Regina repeated. "I wake up one morning to you standing there with your stuff packed up telling me that you will move out."

Regina's voice got louder with each word.

"Then suddenly two weeks later you are gone. I had to hear from Snow that you moved to California."

Now it was Regina who invaded Emma's personal space.

"From Snow of all people," she yelled.

Emma had the decency to blush at that.

"Regina, I am so…."

"Two years." Regina interrupted. "No email, no phone call, no text message. Nothing. Not one word."

Emma could feel tears stinging behind her eyes. Yeah. She had royally fucked up.

"Regina, I…"

"NO!" Regina yelled. "Don't Regina me. You have made it perfectly clear that there is no us anymore. There is nothing that we need to talk about. So if you would be so kind, I'd like you to leave my house now."

She stepped back and motioned with her arm to the hall.

Emma stood for a second, not sure what to do. Looking at Regina, she knew that it would be better to leave, so she slowly made her way past Regina to the front door, the clicking of high heels telling her that the brunette was following behind her.

She opened the door and turned around once more to look at Regina.

"I love you," Emma said, tears now freely falling from her eyes.

Regina flinched, but didn't say a word.

"I love you Regina. I never stopped loving you. I know I fucked up. I know that and maybe I don't deserve a second chance, but I will not stop trying." With that she turned around and closed the door behind her.

* * *

The cool air hit Emma like brick wall. She took a deep breath and leaned back against the door, silently crying, not knowing that Regina did exactly the same on the other side.


	3. Chapter 3

The cool air hit Emma like brick wall. She took a deep breath and leaned back against the door, silently crying, not knowing that Regina did exactly the same on the other side.

* * *

Emma was driving aimlessly around town. She didn't really feel like going back to Granny's or her parents' house, trying to avoid getting grilled by her mother for as long as possible.

Snow and Regina had a very troubled past and it had been hard for both of them to let go of all the anger and resentment. Still Snow had always had kind of a soft spot when it came to Regina, and never really given up hope that she could be saved. She was the first person to suspect that something was going on between her and Regina, long before they did actually, and although her first impulse had been to scream bloody murder, she held back and decided to let her daughter make her own decisions. When Emma sat her parents down one afternoon almost 8 years ago to tell them that she and Regina were in love, Snow and Charming were still shocked though. Even if they had to admit that Regina had changed and that she really loved Emma…and Henry...and that as strange as it was they were making a lot of sense together they have never really gotten over the fact that their daughter was dating the Evil Queen.

Emma had to hand it to her parents though, the never once tried to intervene and even made an effort to spend time with Regina and make life for all of them as comfortable as possible.

Emma knew that since she moved 2 years ago Snow and Regina had become somewhat closer. They had "the" talk…about the curse, their hatred for each other, Daniel, Leopold and everything that happened in the Enchanted Forrest once Emma told her parents that they were going to get married, and even though it was clear that they would never become best friends, things had been better after that, friendly even. Snow made it clear that she was not a big fan of her stepmother becoming her daughter in law, but that if that's what makes Emma and Henry happy and Regina a better person, then she'll accept that.

Emma had been surprised to hear from Ruby that after she left, Snow and Regina had been seen together a lot more often.

They never talked about Regina when they spoke on the phone, and she always wondered what the two women were talking about, but Snow never brought it up and Emma was too afraid to ask.

Emma looked at her watch. She had been driving for 2 hours already. She sighed. Might as well get it over with, she thought. Better tonight, than spoiling Henry's birthday tomorrow.

There was still a light on in the living room of the house Snow and Charming moved in shortly after they came back from Neverland. Emma parked the car and got out. She took a deep breath and slowly started walking towards the porch.

"Hey sweetie."

Emma had to stifle a surprised cry. Snow was sitting in the dark on the swing on the front porch.

"Jesus!" Emma's heart was hammering in her chest. "You almost gave me a heart attack."

"I'm sorry." Snow moved a little on the swing, motioning to Emma to come sit next to her.

"I have beer." Snow simply said. She held up a six-pack. "I thought you might need it."

Emma felt her eyes water at that and walked the few steps up the porch and sat down next to her mother. They sat quietly for a long time.

"I don't know what I was thinking." Emma finally broke the silence.

"So I take it things didn't go that well?" Snow handed Emma a beer and helped herself to some wine.

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry."

"Are you really?"

Snow let out a small giggle. "Yes. I really am. Wonders never cease."

"How much wine did you have?" Emma looked at her mother curiously.

Snow looked at the almost empty wine bottle on the table. "Not that much" she giggled again. "I was worried about you."

"Why?"

"Well, duh! You were going to talk to the Evil Queen…"

"Mom!"

"Just kidding."

They were once more silent for a while.

"I fucked up really bad, Mom."

"I know."

"I am not sure I can fix this." Emma felt tears burning in her eyes again.

"You have to try."

Emma moved closer to Snow and lay her head on the smaller woman's shoulder.

"Do you think there's hope?"

Snow let out a small laugh. "You are talking to Snow White, sweetie. Of course I have hope."

Emma rolled her eyes at that. "I'm serious Mom. Ruby told me that you have been spending a lot of time with Regina since I left. Did she say something?"

Snow sighed. "Emma, you know Regina. When she loves, she loves with all of her heart. Look at Daniel…or Cora. Even if she wanted to, I don't think that she could stop loving you."

"Did she say that?"

"No, dear. She didn't. We never talked about you." Snow took a sip of her wine. "I am not sure I can explain it to you. I just know. She still loves you."

Emma stifled a sob.

"I don't know what to do, Mom."

Snow moved her arm around Emma's shoulders and hugged her tighter to her body.

"If you want her back, you need to fight, sweetie."

"But she wouldn't even talk to me."

"Well." Snow pressed a light kiss to Emma's head. "It's been two years Emma. You need to give her time."

* * *

There was a knock on her door. At least Emma thought she heard a knock. She wasn't sure. After Snow left to go to bed last night, Emma stayed…and finished the whole six-pack of beer. So her thoughts were a little fuzzy. There was another knock. Emma opened one eye. Nope. She did not imagine it.

"Yeah?" she mumbled into her pillow.

"Mom? Can I come in?"

"Sure, kiddo." Emma wasn't able to move, but she managed to open her other eye.

The door opened and Henry came in. He took in the room and his Mom and couldn't hold back a grin.

"Guess some things never change, huh?" He plopped down next to Emma, making the whole bed move.

"Ugh."

"So…?"

"Huh?"

"Are you going to tell me?"

"Tell you what?"

"Seriously, Mom?"

Emma turned around and looked at her son. "So, nothing." she said.

Henry only nods his head. "You have to give it time."

"I know."

"She called earlier. She has a meeting at 3, but will be here around 4."

"Ok. What time is it?"

"10."

"Fuck!" Emma closed her eyes.

"Miss Swan!" Henry scolded. "Language!"

Emma opened one eye again to glare at her son. "Really?"

Henry laughed and shrugged his shoulders getting up from the bed and walking to the door. "What can I say? I'm my mother's son." He winked at her when he left the room.

"That you are." Emma mumbled. "This day is going to be hell."

* * *

Emma was showered and downstairs an hour later. Snow was in the kitchen, busy preparing the food for Henry's birthday party; while Charming and Henry were setting up the tent and tables and chairs in the backyard.

Ever since they came back from Neverland Henry's birthday has always been a big deal, not only for Emma and Regina or Snow and Charming, but for the whole town.

Emma smiled at Snow and walked out into the backyard to give her son the promised hug and present she brought from California.

* * *

The hours flew by and by the time it was 4 the house and yard were crowded with all kinds of fairytale characters.

Emma was starting to get nervous.

"Hey." Snow nudged Emma with her shoulder.

"Hey."

"I know I probably don't have to say this, but not today, okay?"

She didn't have to clarify what she meant, Emma understood anyways. "I know."

"MOM! Finally!"

Emma and Snow both watched as Henry ran towards the front door engulfing Regina in a bear hug, lifting her up a few inches and swinging her around. Regina let out a genuine laugh and Emma's heart skipped a beat. Regina's laugh was one of the sweetest sounds on earth for her, hearing it again made her heart ache.

Snow squeezed Emma's arm and leaned in closer. "It's going to be alright. You'll see." With that she turned and walked back to the kitchen to check on the buffet.

Emma watched her son and Regina. They were so cute together. Henry was chatting up a storm, beaming at his mother. Regina's whole body seemed to smile. She had this look on her face that she only reserved for her son. It was pure love.

Henry was still talking to Regina when he took her coat and hung it at the rack by the door, he then took her hand and started walking towards the backyard. When Regina turned to follow him Emma's and her eyes met. For a fleeting moment the brunette stopped in her tracks and her smile froze on her face. Emma's breath hitched. Then the moment was over, as Henry just kept walking and pulled his mother with him.

* * *

The rest of the party went by without Regina and Emma crossing paths. It was as if they magically always missed each other. Emma had the suspicion that Snow had something to do with it and was secretly thanking her for it. It was getting late and people were leaving in a steady flow. Emma was in the kitchen with Snow when they heard Henry announcing loudly that Regina was leaving. Snow dried her hands with a towel and walked into the hall.

"Regina." Snow smiled at the Mayor. "It was good to see you. Too bad we didn't have much time to talk. Coffee on Monday?"

Emma stood behind her mother and couldn't believe what she just heard.

"Snow." Regina smiled at the smaller woman. "Coffee on Monday sounds lovely. See you then. Goodbye David."

"Drive safely." David smiled too.

Regina turned around and opened her arms to hug Henry. "Good night my little prince."

Henry, almost taller by a head, giggled and hugged her close. "I'll see you on Sunday Mom. I love you."

Regina cupped his cheek, smiling up at him. "I love you too. Happy birthday."

Emma cleared her throat. Regina turned around and they locked eyes again. She gave Emma a curt smile. "Good night Emma."

"Good night."

As soon as the door closed behind Regina Emma turned to look at her mother. Snow just smiled, shrugged her shoulders and went back into the kitchen. Emma turned to look at her father. David just grinned at her. "Come one Champ, time to take the tent down." He punched Henry lightly at the shoulder and the two left for the backyard.

Emma stood in the hall, not sure what to think.

"Regina is about to leave, sweetie." Snow called from the kitchen. "I believe there was something you wanted to tell her tonight?"

Emma froze. Right. She made a decision last night.

Emma opened the front door. Regina had just arrived at her car and was looking through her purse for her keys.

"Regina!" Emma ran towards the Mercedes. "Wait!"

The brunette stood frozen, giving the blonde her best glare. "What?"

Emma came to a stop at the passenger side watching Regina over the car.

"There is something I wanted to tell you." Emma gave Regina a small smile.

"Which is what?" Regina still glared at her.

"I quit my job this morning and rented my apartment. I won't leave. I will stay in Storybrooke."

Regina's jaw dropped. "What?"

"You heard me." Emma looked Regina straight in the eyes. "I will fight for you." With that she turned around and walked back into the house.


	4. Chapter 4

Emma opened the front door. Regina had just arrived at her car and was looking through her purse for her keys.

"Regina!" Emma ran towards the Mercedes. "Wait!"

The brunette stood frozen, giving the blonde her best glare. "What?"

Emma came to a stop at the passenger side watching Regina over the car.

"There is something I wanted to tell you." Emma gave Regina a small smile.

"Which is what?" Regina still glared at her.

"I quit my job this morning and rented out my apartment. I won't leave. I will stay in Storybrooke."

Regina's jaw dropped. "What?"

"You heard me." Emma looked Regina straight in the eyes. "I will fight for you."

With that she turned around and walked back into the house.

* * *

A week had passed since Henry's birthday and Emma had not seen Regina once. Henry had spent Sunday with her and Snow lunch on Monday but neither said a word to her about the other woman. Emma was dying to know what Regina was thinking about her moving back to Storybrooke and fighting for her, but at the same time she was kind of scared so she didn't ask either.

Emma was lucky that quitting her job and renting out her apartment wasn't a big deal and that she didn't really need any of her things from her home in California, besides clothing, since she only packed for a 3-day trip. Emma had managed to save a bunch of money over the past two years, because her life in California mainly consisted of work and not much else, but David and Snow were more than happy to have their daughter stay in the guest room and feed her. All three of them were well aware that the only job Emma was suited for was working at the Sheriff's department…but that would mean getting Regina to agree to hire her, and no one really wanted to see how that would play out.

Emma sat on the front porch of Snow and Charming's house, her feet curled up under her and wrapped in a blanket, watching as people went about their day in the sleepy little town. These past few days she had done a lot of thinking. She knew that trying to win back Regina's heart was going to take time and she needed to be absolutely sure that it was what she really wanted. She took a sip of her coffee and let her mind wander to the time when it had all started.

* * *

Neverland had been hard for Emma, hurtful and confusing. With Henry being in danger, Snow admitting to wanting a baby, Neal being dead and then alive, and Hook always at her heels trying to get her attention, the only thing that kept Emma sane and focused was Regina and her determination to get their son back. Things had been surprisingly civil between her and Regina on the island. Emma often lay awake at night watching the former Evil Queen; wondering about their relationship. One night when everyone else was already sound asleep she saw Regina get up and disappear into the woods. Curious, but also worried, Emma had followed her. She found the other woman at a clearing, sitting on a rock and staring at the sky. The way Regina's shoulders were slumped it seemed like she was sad, and Emma found herself wondering why. She was about to approach when she heard small sobs coming from the other woman. Regina was crying. Emma felt her heart ache at the sight. Regina had been right down at the mine when she had said that everyone just sees her as the Evil Queen. People expected her to be cold and heartless. The fact that she felt the need to steal herself away so no one would see her cry made Emma sad.

She had tried to be more attentive towards Regina after that night. They would always walk together and talk about things they could do to find Henry. She asked Regina to help her with her magic and part of each day they would take off – away from the others – to practice. Regina was a good teacher. Even when Emma got frustrated because it seemed like she was everything but in control of her magic, the other woman never lost her patience. Emma suspected that it was at least in part because Regina was trying hard to not repeat the mistakes Cora and Rumple had made with her. It was fascinating for Emma to see this soft side of the former Evil Queen and Mayor. She had always been intrigued by the other woman, but she had never made an effort to actually get to know her before. So Emma started to move her night camp closer to Regina's and they would often stay up till the early morning, just talking. Of course it took Emma quite some convincing to get the other woman to open up, but somehow Regina's walls hadn't been that high since they arrived on the island, and it had been easier than Emma first expected. They learned a lot about each other's pasts during those nights, and Emma realized that they were much more alike and had a lot more in common than just their love for Henry. It didn't surprise her really. She had always thought that their explosive way to interact with each other was not because they were too different, but because they were too much alike. The fact that Emma was attracted to Regina probably added to the tension. Another thing that didn't really surprise her that much. She had been attracted to women before and even before she got to know Regina better, she was well aware of how attractive the other woman was. Regina would probably kill her on the spot if she knew. So she vowed to keep it to herself; nothing would ever come of it anyways.

Sometimes during those talks Emma would see glimpses of the young Regina, before she was formed into the corrupted woman who then became the Evil Queen. Those moments made her understand a lot more why Snow, despite everything that had happened and what they had done to each other, somehow never lost hope in the other woman – and much to Emma's dismay it made her even more attracted to Regina.

At some point during their time in Neverland they started referring to Henry as "our son." It had been Emma who said it first. She had no idea where it had come from and she felt her cheeks grow hot with embarrassment as soon as the words slipped out of her mouth. But then she looked up and saw Regina's face, eyes wide in wonder and a tiny smile dancing on the corner of her lips, and she knew that it was true and that the other woman felt the same. It gave both women a sense of family they were desperately craving for their whole lives. Emma knew not to read too much into it, she was just happy to have found some sort of connection to Regina.

* * *

Things in Storybrooke had gone back to normal after they came back from Neverland. Snow and Charming loved their jobs as teacher and deputy sheriff and decided to keep them, and even though some people were still not sure what to think of the new Regina, it was decided that she would resume being the mayor – after all she was the only one who knew how to run a town in this world and she had always been quite good at it. Emma went back to being the Sheriff, and she and Regina sat down and agreed on a form of shared custody for Henry and – with his input of course – they came up with a schedule for when he would be at Emma's and when at Regina's place. Neal decided to stay in Storybrooke for a while, and even though Regina was not happy about it, they managed to work him into the schedule without anyone having their heart ripped out.

Emma wasn't really happy though. For days after their return she lay awake at nights, unable to fall asleep, just tossing and turning until her body just gave up out of pure exhaustion. The few hours of sleep she did get were restless, and she felt worse with each day. She had no idea why she felt so restless. Things were finally good. Henry was safe, there was no new threat in sight…life was good.

Snow watched Emma come down the stairs, her pj pants hanging loose on her hips. She had lost quite a bit of weight since Neverland. With a drained look on her face and the dark circles under her eyes she made her way to the kitchen, only nodding her head to her mother as a good morning greeting.

"Morning, honey." Snow said.

Emma just grunted in response and poured herself some coffee.

"Couldn't sleep again?"

"Not much."

"It's been over a week now Emma. You need to rest properly."

Emma glared at her mother. "You think I don't sleep on purpose?"

"No honey. I think something is keeping you from finding rest and I think you need to find out what that is." Snow moved around the counter and put a hand on one of Emma's cheeks, looking intently at her daughter. "Or who."

With that Snow turned around, grabbed her purse and left the apartment.

It didn't take Emma long to figure out what…or better whom her mother was talking about.

Regina.

During their time in Neverland Regina and Emma had become almost inseparable. Especially at nights, when they would talk for hours before they'd fall asleep side by side. Now they hardly ever saw each other. There was the welcome back party the town threw for them and the meeting for Henry's living arrangements…but other than that there were only quick hellos and goodbyes when they dropped Henry off. Things had been busy at the station, with the Lost Boys in town and Emma barely had any time to think during the day. Now that she was thinking about it though, she realized that she missed Regina.

It only took her a minute to make a decision. Taking two steps at a time she ran up the stairs to get showered and dressed and within 30 minutes she was out the door.

* * *

Emma took Regina out for lunch that day and every day after that. They also started spending more time together with Henry. First it was a dinner every other night, then they added movie nights and game nights, and soon they were spending almost every night of the week together. In the beginning Emma would leave as soon as Henry went to bed, but then one night Regina asked if she wanted to stay and have a drink and from that night on Emma stayed every night until they both got sleepy.

Until one night everything changed.


	5. Chapter 5

Emma took Regina out for lunch that day and every day after that. They also started spending more time together with Henry. First it was a dinner every other night, then they added movie nights and game nights and soon they were spending almost every night of the week together. In the beginning Emma would leave as soon as Henry went to bed, but then one night Regina asked if she wanted to stay and have a drink and from that night on Emma stayed every night until they both got sleepy.

Until one night everything changed.

* * *

Emma doesn't really remember how exactly it happened and who made the first step - that whole night was kind of a blur for both of them - but somehow they went from sitting outside on the porch, talking and having some wine to…kissing.

Kissing Regina was amazing. It was everything Emma always thought it would be and then so much more. The kiss was slow, almost hesitant and it was over way too soon.

Regina jumped off the bench, eyes wide, one hand covering her mouth.

"You kissed me!"

Emma jumped off the bench too. "No. You kissed **me**!"

Regina gaped at her. "I did no such thing. **You** kissed me."

Emma shook her head. This was ridiculous. She sat back down and took a huge sip of her wine. "Does it really matter who kissed who?" She looked down at her feet, afraid to look at Regina and what she might see in the other woman's face. There was a long silence. Finally she felt Regina sit down next to her again.

"I would like to do it again."

It was said in such a low voice that Emma wasn't sure she heard right. Her head snapped up to look at the other woman. "What?"

"You heard me," Regina snapped.

Emma felt her heart beating wildly in her chest. So she did hear right. She searched Regina's eyes for...she didn't even know what exactly…some sign that this was a cruel joke or something, because this could not be happening, or could it?

"Why?" she asked.

"Why what?"

"Why do you want to kiss me?"

"Really? What kind stupid question is that?"

"Can you just answer, Regina?"

"Well, why do **you** want to kiss me?"

"I didn't say I want to."

Regina laughed at that. "Fine. So why did you kiss me then?"

"I didn't kiss you. You kissed me."

There was a long uncomfortable silence after that until Regina got up again. "This is ridiculous. I think you should leave now, Miss Swan." With that she turned around and headed to the back door.

Emma panicked. This was not going well. She was berating herself for being such an idiot. Yes, she was scared, but Regina didn't throw a fireball at her or anything, she actually said that she wanted to kiss her again.

She jumped up and grabbed Regina by the wrist. Tugging at it she managed to stop and turn the other woman around. For a second Regina's eyes glowed purple and Emma knew she had to act quickly, so before anything else could happen she leaned in and pressed her lips against Regina's.

The kiss was chaste at first, and Emma felt Regina's resistance, so she moved her body closer and put one hand on Regina's hip and the other on her cheek. After a moment she could feel Regina's body relax, and she pressed her lips more firmly against hers. Another moment later she felt Regina's arms coming up around her neck, hands tangling in her hair. The move made Emma bold and she took a deep breath and deepened the kiss. Regina's reaction was immediate. She moved her body closer to Emma's and effectively moved them backwards until Emma's body hit the wall.

When the kiss ended both women were panting heavily. Emma leaned her forehead against Regina's and tried to form a coherent sentence. "I…that…you…I…well…" she stuttered.

"Finally managed to render you speechless, huh?" Regina grinned. "If I had known that this was the way to effectively shut you up, I would have kissed you years ago."

"Yeah, well. I wish you had."

* * *

Emma didn't stay that first night. They both agreed that with their relationship track record they needed to take things slow. Very slow. So that's what they did.

After about a month of them kissing away most nights they decided it was time to tell Henry. Regina was nervous, but Emma was certain that he would be thrilled. They both sat at the kitchen counter when Henry came down for breakfast the next morning.

"Hey Moms," Henry greeted the two women.

"Morning dear. I made you pancakes. Your favorite ones." Regina placed a plate with a huge stack of blueberry pancakes in front of her son.

Henry looked from Regina to Emma and raised an eyebrow. "Okay. What's going on?"

"Huh? Nothing is going on. Why would you ask that?" Emma lied.

Henry looked from one mother to the other again. "You do know that I inherited your built-in lie detector, right?" He gave Emma a pointed look.

"Right. Crap."

"Language Miss Swan!"

"Right. Sorry." Emma had the decency to blush.

"So?" Henry asked looking first at Emma, but then directing his attention to Regina.

"So. You see Henry….erm…" Regina wrung her hands and looked to Emma for help.

"…So we wanted to talk to you about something." The blonde finished.

Henry waited for either of his moms to continue. When there was only silence he asked, "Okay. So what do you want to talk about?"

Regina looked at Emma again, silently begging her to take the lead on this. Emma cleared her throat. "Well. You see Henry. Your mom and I have been spending a lot of time together in the past few months and…" Emma stopped and looked at Regina "…well. I don't know how to say this, but…."

"You two are dating," Henry said.

Both Emma and Regina looked at their son in shock.

"Duh!" Henry said. "I'm not an idiot. I do live here, you know, and I sometimes get hungry in the middle of the night…"

Regina gasped. "You have seen us?"

"Yeah," Henry said, reaching for the maple syrup.

"Why haven't you said anything?" Emma cut in.

"I don't know." Henry shrugged with his shoulders. "Why should I have? It's not like you haven't made puppy dog eyes at each other for months now."

"We have not!" Regina shot back immediately, while Emma only grinned.

"Yes you have. It was slightly disturbing at the beginning." Henry shifted his focus back to his plate.

"And now?" Emma asked.

"Now nothing. Nobody wants to see their parents drooling all over each other, but I got used to it. I was actually wondering when the two of you would finally figure it out." Henry ginned at the women who were gaping at him in shock. "So…um…does that mean Emma moves in with us now?"

Regina almost choked at her coffee. "What? No!" When she saw the disappointed look on Emma's face she quickly added, "We just started seeing each other. We're not quite at this point…yet."

"Ah. That's too bad." Henry grabbed another pancake. "It would make my life a lot easier if we could just all live here together." He added with a grin and focused his attention back to his breakfast.

Regina reached for Emma's hand and squeezed lightly. "We'll see," she said and smiled at the other woman.

Emma squeezed Regina's hand back and looked at her with a grin. "Well. That was easy."

"Yeah." Regina looked from Henry to Emma. "I wonder who else knows already."

* * *

Emma stood outside her parents' home and felt panic rising in her. She was scared of how they would react to the news. It was true that Regina and Snow got along better ever since Neverland, and when Snow told her to find out who the reason was for her sleeping problem, Emma was sure that she already knew it was Regina…but that didn't mean that they'd be happy about them dating…at all.

Regina took the cowardly way out and made Emma go by herself, saying that they were her parents and it was her job to tell them. Emma was furious about that and vowed to herself to make Regina suffer for it…later.

She took a deep breath and knocked at the front door. It only took a moment until Snow opened the door and beamed at her daughter. "Emma! What a nice surprise."

They were sitting in an uncomfortable silence at the kitchen counter for about 10 minutes when Snow finally had enough. "Emma?" She tried to get her daughters attention, who was looking everywhere but her parents. "Emma, please. You are scaring us."

David leaned over and touched Emma's hand. "Sweetie, whatever it is, you can tell us. It'll be okay. I promise."

At that, Emma looked up. "I'm not so sure about that." She stood and started pacing around the kitchen. "I don't really know how to say this, so I'll just say it." She sighed. "Regina and I are dating."

Suddenly there was dead silence in the room. Time seemed to stand still. Emma didn't dare to look at her parents. She knew it would hurt.

It seemed like hours had passed when David finally found his voice. "What?"

"Regina and I are dating."

Snow looked from David to Emma and shook her head. "Well, I can't say that I am surprised, but I am sorry to say that it's still a shock." She put her hand on top of David's and squeezed it. "I suspected there was something going on between you and Regina for some time now; I first saw it in Neverland and when you couldn't sleep after we came back I was pretty sure that I knew why."

Emma gaped at her mother.

"To be honest, I never thought that something would come of it, though. So to hear that it has is a bit of a shock." Snow gave Emma a small smile. "We love you, honey, and we wish you all the happiness in the world, but you have to understand that it's hard for us to be happy that it seems to be Regina, of all people, you have chosen to make you happy."

"I didn't choose her," Emma cut in. "It just happened. And I am not sorry for it." Emma sat back down at the counter. "I get that it's not easy to accept that it's Regina I am seeing, but you have to know that I won't let you destroy what we have."

David stood up. "Nobody said anything about destroying anything, Emma. There is a lot of history between us and Regina and even though things are starting to change…" He looked at Snow and sighed. "Regina is just not who we had pictured as someone to be with our daughter. It'll take some time to get used to. That's all we're saying." He smiled at Emma.

* * *

Emma found Regina in her study, working. She leaned in the doorframe just looking at her girlfriend for a moment before she cleared her throat to make the other woman aware of her presence.

Regina looked up from her paperwork. "I see you are still alive." She smirked at Emma. "And allowed to still see me." She stood and walked a few steps, but then stopped and said, "Or are you here to tell me you can't see me anymore?"

Emma was pleased to see worry in Regina's eyes. Served her right for making her face her parents alone. She decided to make Regina suffer some more and just kept looking at her, not saying a word.

Regina started to panic a bit. "Emma, please. This is not funny." She took a few more steps towards Emma. "What happened? What did they say?"

Emma was amazed that the woman a whole realm feared and referred to as the Evil Queen could be so self-conscious.

She gave Regina her brightest smile.

"Well, you'll find out tonight. We're having dinner with my parents."


End file.
